Trick-or-Treat! (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: The Allen family joins the Five-0 ohana for trick-or-treating fun. Part 3 of the McRoll in the REAL World Halloween trilogy.


**Notes:** Thanks to Mari and Sammy for all the help and fabulous feedback! Happy second Halloween in the REAL World, ladies!

Readers and REAL McRollers – Apologies for the late posting! Thank you for all your amazing support!

Hope you enjoy! Happy Halloween!

 _ **This story picks up right where Mari's wonderful Caramel Kisses leave off.**_

* * *

 _Trick-or-Treat! (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

"They're here!" Grace announced at the sound of the doorbell, and Joan, bouncing in Danny's lap, threw up her arms and exclaimed, "T'ey heeeeeaw!"

She stopped bouncing suddenly and looked around the deck at her family. "Who heaw?" she asked.

"The kids are here," Mary said. "Remember, peanut? We're going trick-or-treating with the big kids. And Uncle Chin and Aunt Kono are coming . . ."

"Kids?" Joan asked, her eyes widening excitedly.

"Yeah," Steve said, standing. "A whole bunch."

"Come on," Catherine encouraged as she stood. "Let's go meet 'em."

"Mee' t'em, Mama," Joan said, raising her arms toward her mother.

Mary lifted her from Danny's lap. "Okay, let's go."

"You come, Ann Deb?" Joan asked, looking at the woman across from her.

"Of course I'm coming," Deb replied. She smiled at Steve as he helped her up from the bench, and the group, including Cammie, made their way inside.

Steve opened the door to reveal the entire Allen family plus Jess, their arms laden with bags and containers.

"Happy Halloween!" they said in unison.

"Hey," Steve said, smiling back. "Come on in."

Kaitlyn stayed close to Jenna as Cammie came over to greet them all. When the dog looked up at her, Kaitlyn reached a hand out slowly and petted the top of her head. She looked up at her mother who smiled proudly and squeezed her shoulder.

"Look! Look, Aunt Catherine!" Jacob cried with a huge smile. "Look at my arm! It glows in the dark!"

He held up his right arm. Finger, hand, and arm bones had been painted on the black cast in glow-in-the-dark paint.

"That looks awesome, Jacob!" Catherine said, smiling at the excited boy.

"Mom did it," he said. "Cody found a picture on the computer. And we made the other bones on my costume. When it gets dark, it _glows!_ "

Catherine laughed. "I can't wait to see it."

"Can I put it on now, Mom?" Jacob asked.

"Not yet, honey," Jenna said, smiling at his eagerness. She nodded toward Deb, Mary, and Joan. "I think there's some people we should meet first."

"Right," Steve said, rubbing his hands together. "Introductions." He stepped back to where Deb was standing and placed a hand on her back. "This is Aunt Deb. She surprised us Thursday."

"I've heard so much about you all," Deb said with a warm smile. "I feel like I know you already."

"This is my sister Mary," Steve said, moving to stand by her. "And, of course, this is Joan."

Joan smiled at her name, but kept hold of Mary's shoulder as she looked at the new arrivals from her place on her mother's hip.

Mary smiled at the Allens. "Thanks for letting us tag along trick-or-treating tonight."

"I think we're the ones tagging along with you," Jenna said, returning her smile.

"No one's tagging along with anyone," Catherine interjected. She stepped behind the Allens to introduce them. "This is Jenna. And that's Cody and Jess, Casey, Dylan, Kaitlyn, and Jacob."

"Kids, Mama," Joan said. "Biiiig kids."

"Yeah," her mother said. "Don't they look nice?"

"Mama, wa's 'at?" the toddler asked, pointing at Jacob's arm.

"That's a cast," Mary said. "Jacob hurt his arm."

"Owie?" Joan said, her forehead crinkling. She looked at Jacob. "You has owie?"

"Yeah," Jacob said. "But now it's my costume. It glows in the dark!"

"How _are_ you doing there, Jacob?" Danny asked.

Jacob jumped happily. "Great!"

"He means how's your arm?" Cody said.

Jacob looked at his cast. "Oh, yeah. It kinda itches." He shrugged. "But it's okay."

Danny grinned. "Nothing's gonna stop you from having fun tonight, huh?"

"No way!"

His enthusiasm was contagious, and they all grinned.

"So I'm guessing we have bags full of costumes here," Steve said, motioning to the bags the Allens were carrying.

"Yeah . . ." Jenna started.

"Uncle Chin's bringing mine," Dylan cut in.

"Still a secret, huh?" Steve asked, smiling.

Dylan grinned. "Yeah."

"Where do you want us to put these?" Jenna asked, holding up the bag in her hand.

"How about we just pile them off to the side for now?" Catherine suggested, motioning to the floor near the side of the stairs. "We'll get changed after we eat."

"Wait'll you see," Grace said, rising to the balls of her feet and clasping her hands together. "We made soooo much fun stuff."

"I hope we have enough," Deb said, her eyes twinkling. "This is a full house."

"And it's about to get even fuller," a voice at the open door said.

They looked over to see Chin, Kono, and Leilani in the doorway carrying their own bags and dishes.

Boisterous greetings were exchanged, and everyone moved toward the backyard where there would be more room.

As they walked, Dylan tugged on Chin's arm. Chin leaned down, and Dylan whispered, "You got it, right?"

Chin winked. "I'll sneak it in when everyone's out back eating."

Dylan grinned, his eyes bright with excitement.

Outside on the deck, Leilani said, "This is quite a spread."

"Whoa! Check out the pumpkin!" Casey said. "It looks like it's puking!"

Dylan ran over to look. "Oh, that's raw!"

Kaitlyn covered her mouth, giggling at the sight.

"Mom, look!" Jacob said. "The hot dogs are mummies!"

"Oh, those are fantastic," Jenna said.

"What'd you bring, Leilani?" Grace asked, motioning to the dish she carried.

"I brought taco dip," Leilani said, setting it down on the table. She removed the foil, and Grace gasped.

"It looks like a graveyard!"

"Oh, cool," Jess said. "With tortilla chip tombstones."

"What a great idea," Catherine said.

"I can't take credit," Leilani said with a smile. "I found it on the Internet."

"We found our ideas on the Internet, too," Grace said. "Except for the mummy dogs. Aunt Elizabeth . . . that's Auntie Catherine's mom," she clarified, looking at the Allens, "she used to make them."

"I've got some Rice Krispie treats," Kono said. "Nothing too fancy, but I did use some cookie cutter shapes to make 'em fit the theme."

"Yum," Deb said. "Those are my favorite."

"Can we put _our_ stuff out?" Kaitlyn asked, jumping excitedly.

"Of course," Catherine told her. "What did you bring?"

"Banana ghosts!" Kaitlyn said.

Cody set down a large tupperware container and took off the lid to reveal banana halves decorated with mini chocolate chips for eyes.

" 'Nanas!" Joan cried happily, clapping.

"Spooky bananas," Mary said, bouncing the toddler in her hips. She grinned at her daughter and imitated a ghost sound. "Oooooooooooh!"

"Ooooooooooh," Joan echoed, and everyone laughed.

"And we brought these," Dylan said, taking cups of mandarin oranges out of the bag he was holding. The plastic covers were decorated with jack-o'-lantern faces.

"I drew that one!" Jacob said, pointing to one of the cups. "And that one."

Jenna smiled. "It was much less messy than when we carved our _actual_ pumpkins."

"You're right about that," Danny agreed. "Would you believe I actually found pumpkin guts in my hair later that night?"

"I totally believe that," Steve deadpanned.

Grace and Kaitlyn giggled, and Danny pointed at them. "And I still think the two of you know more about that than you're letting on."

"I heard you all had a lot of fun at the pumpkin patch," Deb said.

"We really did," Kono said, grinning broadly. "I haven't done that in years. It was great."

"You had pumpkin guts in your hair," Chin said to Danny, "I kept finding hay."

"I loved the hayride!" Jacob said. "We kept going bump, bump, bump!" He bounced up and down to demonstrate.

"And speaking of pumpkins," Jenna said. She held up a large bowl. "We've got about a thousand roasted pumpkin seeds."

"Ooh, you can just leave those with me," Deb said, motioning for the bowl with a grin. "My other favorite. I'll be munching on these while you guys trick-or-treat."

"Twick-o-tweat!" Joan said, throwing up her hands.

"Soon," Catherine said, smiling. "Let's eat. It'll be time to go before we know it."

* * *

With full plates, everyone found places around the large table on the deck and started eating the various Halloween treats.

"Hey, where's Gabby?" Kono asked Danny.

"Ah, she got sick," Danny said with a grimace. "Poor thing."

"Ohh, that's too bad," Jenna said.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, she really hated to miss all the fun. But she absolutely insisted she didn't want us to skip trick-or-treating on her account."

"We took her Nonna's pastina for lunch," Grace said. "And we left her more to warm up for dinner. Scout's staying with her."

"I checked on her a half hour ago," Danny said. "She's feeling a little better. Spent most of the day resting . . ."

Steve started, "Is she–"

"Yes, Steven, she's hydrating."

"I reminded her, Uncle Steve," Grace said.

Steve nodded proudly. "Good work, Gracie."

"What's 'hydrating'?" Jacob asked.

"It's Uncle Steve's catchphrase," Danny said. "Along with, 'That's classified.' "

"It means drinking water," Cody told his brother.

"And it's very important all the time, but especially when you're sick," Steve said.

"Ohh," Jacob said, and dutifully reached for his glass of water.

Mary looked over at Kono. "Is Adam traveling?"

"Yeah," Kono said, nodding. "He said to save a few Whoppers for him."

"Seriously?" Danny balked. "He likes those? He can have 'em all."

"Ooh, uh, Mare," Steve said, nodding to Joan in Mary's lap.

Mary looked down and chuckled ruefully. "Oh jeez, kid."

Joan had managed to get a caramel apple and was holding it in both hands with the stick straight up as she sucked on the sugary coating.

"You want me to cut some apple for you, peanut?" Mary asked.

Joan shook her head and licked the caramel, causing Mary to laugh.

"Of course not." She looked at her daughter's coated hands and mouth. "You're gonna need a bath _before_ trick-or-treating."

Joan pulled the apple away from her mouth long enough to look up and say, "No baf, Mama. I eeeat." She nodded seriously. "T'is nummy."

Mary laughed again. "Yeah, I bet it's yummy."

"She did have most of a mummy dog and a banana ghost before she got a hold of that caramel apple," Catherine said with a little wince.

"It's fine," Mary said, smiling. "It's a special day."

Danny chuckled. "Get ready for those caramel kisses, Unca Teeve."

"You, too, Unca Danno," Steve retorted, though both men were smiling.

"Unca Teeve, Unca Danno!" Joan cried and smiled a caramel-coated smile in their direction.

Jacob picked up a banana ghost, and his eyes lit suddenly. He looked at Mary and Deb. "Guess what? I know a ghost joke. Uncle Steve told me."

Mary raised her eyebrows. "Hang on a second. Uncle Steve told you a _joke_?"

"Hey, I'm very funny," Steve said, feigning offense.

"You wish," Mary teased.

Danny nodded, waving a hand in her direction. "Thank you, Mary."

"You wanna hear it?" Jacob asked, unconcerned by their teasing.

"Shoot," Mary said and smiled at him.

"What's a ghost's favorite rides at the 'musement park?"

"Hmm . . ." Deb said, smiling as she tapped her chin thoughtfully with a wink in Steve's direction. "I don't know, Jacob. What?"

"A roller-ghoster and a . . . a . . ." Jacob's forehead crinkled, and he looked at Steve. "What was it again, Uncle Steve?

"A scary-go-round."

Jacob grinned, and he turned back to Mary and Deb. "A scary-go-round! Get it? Like a merry-go-round? Hahaha!"

"Hahaha!" Joan copied him, causing the others to laugh. She beamed at their reactions.

"Hey, Jacob," Steve said, "I got a new one for you."

Jacob's eyes widened in eager anticipation.

"Why didn't the bone guy cross the road?" Steve asked.

Jacob grinned at the use of his phrase for "skeleton" even as he tried to work out the answer in his head.

"Why? Why?" he asked finally.

"He didn't have the guts."

There were a few chuckles around the table from the older kids, but Jacob knitted his brow, still thinking.

Suddenly he gasped in understanding and laughed. "BWAH! I get it! They only got bones! No guts!" He looked down the table at his oldest brother. "Do you get it, Cody? No guts!"

Cody rubbed his head, chuckling. "I get it, Jake." He looked beside him at Jess who grinned back in amusement.

"That's a good one, Uncle Steve!" Jacob said. He glanced over at Mary and Danny before looking back at Steve. " _I_ think you're _really f_ unny."

" _Thank you_ , Jacob," Steve said, nodding gratefully at him and tossing a smug look at his sister and partner.

"Me, too," Kaitlyn added.

"Yeah," Dylan agreed.

Deb looked over at Catherine, and the two shared a happy smile at the exchange.

"Jacob, remind me to show you the picture of Uncle Steve dressed in a bone guy costume for Halloween when he was even younger than you," Deb said.

Jacob's eyes widened. "Really?" He looked between Steve and Deb.

"Really," Steve confirmed.

"And speaking of costumes . . ." Catherine said, checking her watch. "Official trick-or-treating starts soon. Are we about ready to get this food put away so we can get our costumes on?"

"Yes!" Kaitlyn cried.

Jacob pumped his non-casted hand in the air. "Trick-or-treat!"

Joan imitated him with a caramel-covered hand. "Twick-o-tweat!"

"Okay, then," Mary said, lifting Joan under her arms to try and keep her sticky hands away from both their clothes. "Let's get you cleaned up."

"No baf, Mama!"

"No bath, but we gotta wash your hands and face, little missy."

"Miss missy," Joan echoed as they disappeared inside.

"She is darling," Jenna said. "I'd almost forgotten how fun that age is."

The rest of the group stood, and Steve and Catherine directed the clean-up. In short order, the leftover food was all put away, with the exception of the roasted pumpkin seeds.

"You thought I was kidding," Deb said, holding the bowl. "These will be gone by the time you get back from trick-or-treating."

Steve chuckled, then looked at the assembled group. "Okay. Costume time?"

"Yeah!" Jacob cried.

Steve nodded. "Let's do it."

Jacob grinned. "Operation Trick-or-Treat!"

* * *

The girls had all headed upstairs to put their costumes on while the guys stayed downstairs.

Steve had offered the den to Chin and Dylan who wanted to put his secret costume on for a big reveal. Cody was in the living room helping Jacob put on the black shirt and sweatpants that made up his skeleton costume.

Danny came to the open door of the bathroom where Steve was dressed in a suit and tie, preparing to apply spirit gum above his lip. Steve glanced at him and did a double take. Setting down the adhesive, he turned to fully face his partner.

" _What_ are you wearing?" he asked.

"What?" Danny shrugged defensively. "There are male cheerleaders."

"I know there are male cheerleaders, and I know you were going to dress as a male cheerleader because of the girls, but _what_ are you wearing?"

"I went with a classic look."

"Classi–" Steve balked. " _A_ _sweater vest?_ "

"Grace picked it out. The trim matches the girls' outfits."

Steve shook his head.

Danny folded his arms. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"Nick Charles," Steve said with a little sigh, turning back to the mirror, straightening his tie.

"From _The Thin Man_?"

Steve glanced at him. "You know that movie?"

"Of course. Nonna loves it."

"That figures. So does Grandma Ang." Steve picked up the adhesive again and applied a thin coat above his lip. "I can't believe I'm doing this again," he muttered.

"What?" Danny waved a hand incredulously. "You're wearing a suit. Again. That barely counts as a costume."

"And a fake mustache," Steve countered. He picked up a thin black mustache and positioned it on his face.

"Face it, you're just a big softie. A kid you care about looks up at you with those big eyes and you just melt. Last year it was Grace. This year, Jacob."

Steve grunted, holding the mustache in place while the adhesive dried.

He turned to Danny, nodding at him. "How are you not more embarrassed in that get-up?"

"This?" Danny said, motioning at his sweater vest and white pants. "This is nothing. I once dressed up in tights because Grace wanted us to be Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. _Tights_."

Steve shook his head. "I did not need that visual."

"You're welcome."

"Seriously? Tights?"

Danny grinned, wagging a finger. "Just you wait, my friend. Just you wait."

Steve removed his hand from the fake mustache, looking back in the mirror. "Okay, I think that's good. Let's go check on everyone else."

They returned to the living room, and Jacob bounded over to them.

"Look at my costume!" he cried and stood with his arms and legs spread wide so they could see the bones painted on. He spun in a circle to show the back.

"That looks great, buddy," Steve said with a broad smile.

"I gotta check and make sure it still glows in the dark!" he exclaimed.

"Of course it still–" Cody started, but Jacob was already running for the bathroom. He sighed. "At least use the bathroom, too, while you're in there," he called after his brother.

"Okay!" Jacob shouted back, and they heard the door close.

Danny looked Cody up and down, shaking his head. "Why am I not surprised you also managed to find a suit and tie costume?"

Cody looked down, a small smile on his face. He glanced over at Steve who nodded approvingly.

" 'Cause he's smart, that's why," Steve said.

Cody bent down and picked up a hat and sunglasses from his bag. He straightened, putting both on.

Danny grinned and nodded. "Blues Brothers. All right, I can dig that. Is Jess the other one?"

"Yeah," Cody said, pulling the sunglasses off. "Her parents had most of the stuff. I guess they dressed up like them like ten years ago or something."

The three looked over as Deb came down the stairs.

"How's it going up there?" Steve asked.

"Almost ready," she said. "They're just getting Catherine's hair pinned up."

"Deb," Danny said, holding out his hands in question. "Where's your costume?"

"Oh, I'm just passing out candy," she said as she reached them. "I don't need a costume."

"Sure you do," Mary said from the top of the stairs.

She came down wearing a black dress Steve recognized as one of Catherine's. When she reached the bottom she handed Deb a black hat, placing a matching one on her own head.

Deb blinked at the hat, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat. She looked back at Mary, tears in her eyes. "A witch's hat."

Mary smiled, her own eyes damp, and Deb put a hand on her cheek, patting it gently.

Steve smiled softly as he watched them. Deb put the hat on her head and squeezed Mary's hand.

After a moment, Mary straightened as if remembering there were others in the room. She grinned at the guys and motioned to her outfit.

"What do you think?" she said. "Not bad for a last minute costume, huh?"

"Not bad at all," Steve agreed.

"What? You weren't gonna dress up?" Danny asked.

"No, but Steve said I had to," Mary replied with an eye roll.

Steve folded his arms. "Right. If I have to, you have to."

"I saw the hats at the store yesterday," she continued with a quick glance at Deb, "and Cath let me borrow a dress. She's a little taller but . . ."

"You look great," Danny assured her.

"Yeah," Steve said. "And your last minute costume looks better than some people who had weeks to find something . . ."

"I don't want to hear it, Commander My-Costume-Is-Always-a-Suit," Danny retorted.

"I think I'm with Danny on this one," Mary said with a teasing smirk. "But the mustache is a nice touch."

Steve shrugged, unconcerned, and shared a smile with Cody. He nodded to Mary. "Where's the little pumpkin?"

"Didn't want to leave Ann Caf and her "pwetty dwess," Mary said with a grin.

"Annnd that would be the other reason you deign to wear a 'costume,' " Danny said, smirking at Steve. "You get Catherine in a dress."

"Hey, she came up with the idea," Steve said with another shrug.

"Of course she did," Danny said. " 'Cause she knows you and what you're willing to wear."

"I–"

"Jacob!" they heard a voice yell from the direction of the den.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just wanted a little peek!"

They heard a door close, and Jacob ran back into the living room. "Wait'll you see Dylan!" he cried. "He's–"

"Jake," Cody warned.

Jacob put a hand over his mouth to stop himself. He dropped it and said, "It's soooooo cool. Like your t-shirt."

Cody's brow knitted in confusion. "Like my t-shirt?"

"Unca Teeve!" Joan's voice called from the upper landing. "I punkin!"

They looked up to see Joan in Catherine's arms. They led the way down the stairs with Cammie, while Grace, Kaitlyn, Kono, Casey, Leilani, Jenna, and Jess followed.

"Whoa!" Danny said, grinning. "Quite the parade of costumes, ladies!"

"I punkin, Unca Teeve!" Joan cried again, squirming to get down once they'd reached the bottom of the stairs. Catherine set her down, and she ran to Steve who scooped her up and lifted her high above his head.

"Look at you, pumpkin!" he said, smiling at her.

She squealed happily. When he settled her back against him, she plucked at the orange tulle of her costume and said, "I see Aawon."

Steve glanced over at Mary.

"We did a quick video chat so he could see her in her costume. I mean, he'd seen it before but . . ."

"Aawon bwo punkin kisses," Joan said, mimicking blowing a kiss. "I 'care 'im. Boo!" She threw a hand in the air, and it knocked against the headband that she wore as her pumpkin stem and leaves.

She pulled the headband off and dropped it to the ground.

"Hey," Mary said, stepping over and picking it up. "That's part of your costume, peanut."

"I punkin," Joan told her.

"I know you're a pumpkin, this is part of your pumpkin costume."

Mary tried to put the headband back on her.

"No, Mama," Joan insisted, pushing it away.

Mary sighed. "All right, missy. But I'll bring it with in case you change your mind."

Jacob ran over to Jenna, jumping excitedly.

"You wore the cape!" he cried, grabbing the blue material that hung down her back.

"Of course I wore the cape," she said, smiling and ruffling his hair. "You said a superhero has to wear a cape."

"Supermom!" Jacob exclaimed.

"Definitely the win for best costume-to-person match," Catherine said, smiling at Jenna and squeezing her shoulders in a quick side hug.

Jenna smiled back.

"Great dress, Leilani," Danny said, motioning to her medieval style costume with a circlet headpiece.

"Oh, thanks," she said. "I realized I hardly ever dress up for Halloween, so it was fun to find something to wear."

"Look, Unca Teeve, 'pider," Joan said, pointing at Casey and Kono. She wiggled in his arms. "Down, Unca Teeve."

When he set her down she ran towards Casey who was all in black and had attached long black socks to the sides of her shirt. Beside her, Kono was also in black and had a spiderweb cape draped over her shoulders.

" 'pider!" Joan said again, bouncing in place beside them. She raised her fingers and started doing the hand motions for "The Itsy Bitsy Spider."

"Yeah, that's one of your favorite songs," Mary said, smiling.

"You like the Itsy Bitsy Spider song, Joan?" Kaitlyn asked, stepping closer to her. "Do you want to sing it?"

Joan nodded emphatically, still making the finger motions. "You ting!"

Kaitlyn started to sing, and Grace joined in, with Joan calling out every third or fourth word as all three did the motions. " _The itsy bitsy spider, went up the water . . ._ "

" 'pout!" Joan cried.

" _Down came the rain and washed the spider out._ "

Joan looked around at the others with a toothy smile. "You!" she told them. "You ting!"

They dutifully joined in, some more enthusiastically than others, for the final lines.

" _Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again._ "

" 'gain!" Joan demanded, jumping up and down happily.

"Oh, I think that's good for now," Mary said, picking her up. "We'll be singing that all night if you had your way."

" 'pider, Mama," Joan said.

"I know." Mary looked at Casey and Kono. "Those are great costumes. Did you make them?"

"Yeah," Casey said. She raised her arms to show how the fake ones were connected to her sleeves and would move when she did.

"Awesome," Mary said and reached over to squeeze one of the socks. "What'd you stuff them with?"

"Plastic bags," Casey said.

Joan squeezed one of the socks and giggled at the noise. " 'pider," she said again. "Biiiig 'pider."

"And you're the web, Aunt Kono," Jacob said, touching the black felt cape cut out to look like a spider's web.

"Yep," Kono said, smiling at him and raising her arms. She turned around so they could see the back of the cape.

Jess turned to Cody, her thin tie loose around her neck. "You said you were gonna help me with this," she reminded him quietly.

He smiled at her. "Yeah." He glanced at the rest of the group, busy commenting on each other's costumes.

Taking the ends of the tie, he started to make a knot. She smiled as he concentrated on his hands. Twisting his lips, he undid the partial knot he'd made and started again.

Catching her gaze, he chuckled sheepishly. "It's a little harder on someone else."

Steve noticed them standing a little to the side and smiled quickly before looking away.

Catherine approached him in her long striped dress.

"Looking good, there, Nicky," she said, reaching up and running a finger over his fake mustache.

His hands moved automatically to her waist.

"Thanks, sugar," he replied with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

She snorted in response.

Danny, close enough to hear the exchange, barked a laugh. "Oh, now I _know_ you're in costume."

"For one night and one night only," Catherine said with a quick smile at Danny before turning back to Steve and leaning up for a quick kiss.

She scrunched her nose after, chuckling at the feel of the mustache.

"You know, that's actually not a bad match, either," Danny mused. "Romantic partners solving mysteries while bantering back and forth." He looked down as Cammie trotted over. "Hey, you've even got a dog." He nodded at them, folding his arms. "Okay, I'll give you this one. Nice costume choice."

Steve gave him a sarcastic nod, one arm around Catherine's waist. "Glad we've got your approval, Danno."

"Uncle Danny," Kaitlyn asked, tugging the bottom of his sweater vest. She was now holding pom poms that matched her cheerleading skirt and glanced quickly at Cammie before continuing. "Should we practice our cheer?"

Danny looked at Grace who had joined them. "We probably should."

"You've got the signs and the . . . the megaphone thing, right?" Kaitlyn asked.

Steve raised his eyebrows, and Danny pointed at him.

"Not a word," he said as Steve grinned. Danny smiled at Kaitlyn. "Yep, I've got 'em."

"Doesn't Auntie Cath's hair look amazing, Uncle Steve?" Grace said, nodding at Catherine whose hair was pinned up in a flapper style.

"Absolutely," he said. He winked at Grace and smiled at Catherine. "But it always does."

Grace grinned at them. "Even first thing in the morning?"

"See, that's one of the things Catherine has in common with Nora. Doesn't scold, doesn't nag, and looks far too pretty in the morning," he said, paraphrasing a quote from Nick Charles.

Catherine smiled at him, shaking her head in amusement and kissing him.

"Hey, Steve?" Chin's voice came from the den. "Is everybody down here?"

"Yeah," Steve called back. "You guys finally ready?"

"Here we come."

Everyone turned towards the hall. Chin walked out first dressed in tall boots, brown pants, a lace up shirt, and a long dark coat with buttons down each side.

"Are you . . ." Catherine started, but before she finished, Chin stepped aside to reveal Dylan.

"Oh my God, the headless horseman!" Mary exclaimed as Joan moved closer to her and held onto her leg.

Dylan's face was hidden underneath a black turtleneck stitched up at the top. The shirt was oversized to fit over the bulky cardboard shoulders and chest underneath, and he wore a black cape with red lining. In his hands, he held a plastic jack-o'-lantern.

"I think we have a winner for coolest costume," Deb said, smiling broadly.

"So cool!" Jacob agreed, jumping excitedly.

"Seriously awesome, dude," Mary said.

Dylan's muffled voice came from inside the shirt. "I got the idea from Cody's t-shirt."

Cody nodded, finally understanding. He looked over at Steve and Catherine. "The one you guys brought from New York."

"We mixed our Sleepy Hollows a little," Chin admitted, gesturing to their costumes.

"I thought you were going for an Icabod Crane look, there," Catherine said, nodding approvingly.

"I've only seen the Disney version," Jenna said.

"Carrie got me into the show," Catherine told her. "The lead is _so_ cute."

"Is he?"

"Oh yes," Kono readily agreed, coming to stand between them. She pulled out her phone and did a quick search. "Look at this." She held the phone out, and Jenna looked at the images on the screen.

"Ooh," she said, looking closer.

Catherine smiled knowingly. "Told you."

"Lemme see this," Steve said, looking at the screen. His brow knitted, and he turned back to Catherine. "Really? With the . . . hair?"

She grinned at him with a quick eyebrow waggle.

"Mm," Kono said, pocketing her phone. "And that accent?" She elbowed Cath. "Right, ' _Leftenant_ '?"

Catherine chuckled, and Steve quirked an eyebrow at her in amusement. She threaded her arm through his and turned back to Dylan and Chin.

"That is an awesome costume, Dylan," Catherine said.

"It really turned out great, honey," Jenna said. She gave Chin a grateful smile, knowing how hard the two had worked on it together.

"So cool," Casey agreed.

"Where he head, Mama?" Joan asked, looking at Dylan warily.

"It's under his shirt," Mary said.

"Right here," Dylan said, patting his head through the shirt.

"How can you see, Dylan?" Kaitlyn asked.

"We cut holes," he said, pointing to a spot near where the cape was tied.

His sister stepped closer to get a better look.

"Ohh," she said, grinning. "Cool!"

"Very cool," Danny agreed.

"Cody, do you remember what bag we put the reflective tape in?" Jenna asked.

"Umm . . ." he started, looking around and wincing.

"We've got some," Steve said and stepped to the sideboard in the dining room to grab the roll.

"Oh good," Jenna said. "I think ours might be upstairs in my bag."

"And we got glow-in-the-dark necklaces," Catherine added, taking a small plastic bag from Steve as he returned.

"I already glow!" Jacob said.

"That's true," Jenna said. "But we should put a little tape on, too. Just in case."

"Most important thing is being safe," Steve agreed.

"Okay," Jacob readily agreed. "Can I wear a necklace, too?"

"Of course," Catherine said. "We've got plenty."

"Do you want one, Joan?" Kaitlyn asked. She took one of the necklaces from Catherine and held it out to the toddler.

"Neckwace!" Joan said, nodding eagerly and closing her fist around the plastic tube.

The adults helped apply reflective tape to the kids. Grace insisted on putting some on Cammie's collar and leash as well.

Once everyone was ready, the kids gathered their bags and buckets for candy as well as any other props for their costumes.

They headed outside to take pictures and once that was done, Catherine said, "I think we're finally ready."

"Have fun!" Deb said with a broad smile. "Bring back lots of candy!"

"We will!" Jacob cried, jumping excitedly.

Deb turned to Mary who was holding Joan and tickled the toddler under her chin.

"Have fun trick-or-treating, pumpkin," she said.

Joan bounced happily in Mary's arms, clutching her plastic pumpkin bucket in one hand.

"Twick-o-tweat!" she cried.

"You got it, Joanie," Steve said, smiling. "Let's go."

"Le's goooo!"

* * *

They started at the house next door to Steve and Catherine's.

Jacob ran ahead, followed quickly by Kaitlyn who pulled Grace with her, and Casey who held on to Dylan's arm to help him navigate.

"Let's let Joan go first, gang," Jenna said.

The kids parted on each side of the door, and Mary approached with Joan. She set the toddler down so Joan could walk the last few steps.

"Will your ring the doorbell, Jacob?" Mary asked.

"Sure!" Jacob said, beaming. He pressed the button, and they waited till a smiling middle-aged woman answered the door holding a bowl of candy.

"Well, look at you all!" she said.

"Go ahead, Joan," Kaitlyn said.

Joan looked around in confusion.

"Go on, peanut, what do you say?" Mary prompted.

"T'ank you!"

Mary laughed. "No . . . well, yes, but first, 'Trick-or-treat'. Remember?"

Joan looked back at her mother. "Twick-o-tweat!

"Not to me, to the nice lady there," Mary said, motioning.

Joan turned back to the door and looked up. "Twick-o-tweat!"

"Now hold your bucket out so she can put some candy in it," Mary said.

"Like this, Joan," Jacob said, holding up his own bag to show her.

Mary nodded. "Just like Jacob."

"Jay-cup?"

Joan looked at him, then at her own bucket. She lifted it up with both hands and watched with wide eyes as the woman dropped a Reese's peanut butter cup inside.

"I ea', Mama?" Joan asked, looking back at Mary and reaching inside the bucket.

Mary stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Later. _Now_ we say 'thank you'," she said, motioning at the woman again.

"T'ank you!" Joan said, smiling at her.

"You are very welcome, sweetheart. You are so adorable."

"Thanks, Mrs. Norton," Steve called out.

"Oh, Steve!" she said and smiled at him. "Catherine! I didn't see you back there. You've got quite the group with you tonight."

"That's my sister Mary and her daughter Joan," Steve said. "And our friends the Allen family."

"And I think you've met Grace and Danny," Catherine added. "And Kono and Chin. And this is Leilani."

"You all look great," Mrs. Norton said. She started passing out treats to the kids. "Let's see . . . ooh . . . a skeleton."

"I glow in the dark!" Jacob said.

"Do you?" Mrs. Norton smiled.

"It's not dark yet," Jacob went on. "But it will be!"

She laughed. "You're right."

Mrs. Norton finished passing out candy.

"Thank you!" the kids chorused.

"T'ank you!" Joan echoed.

"You're welcome," Mrs. Norton said. She waved as they started to walk away. "Have a great night. Happy Halloween!"

"Happy Halloween!" Jacob and Kaitlyn called back.

When she reached Danny, Kaitlyn gasped. "Oh! We didn't do our cheer!"

"Next house," Danny promised. "We had to make sure Joan got the hang of trick-or-treating first."

"Twick-o-tweat!" Joan dutifully cried from Mary's arms.

"Can't wait to hear this cheer," Steve said, fighting a grin.

Danny shook his head at him, then said, "Prepare to be amazed, my friend."

"Frank and Kathy's house is next," Catherine said to Kaitlyn and Grace. "I'm sure they'll love to hear it."

The group trooped next door, and this time Kaitlyn pushed the doorbell.

Kathy Kayama answered the door and smiled as soon as she saw who was on her front porch.

"Frank!" she called back into the house. "Come see!" Turning back to the group, she smiled broadly. "Happy Halloween!"

"Twick-o-tweat!" Joan said, holding up her bucket.

Steve chuckled. "Fast learner."

"This must be Joan!" Kathy said, stepping out onto the porch. "And Mary Ann!" She moved to hug her.

"Hi, Mrs. Kayama," Mary said, a little surprised at the warm greeting.

"Kathy, please. Oh, it's been so long since I've seen you! You were just a little girl the last time . . ."

Frank joined his wife on the porch.

"Frank, look who it is," Kathy said. "Little Mary Ann McGarrett and her daughter Joan."

He smiled warmly. "Mary Ann. It's been a long time."

Kathy knelt in front of Joan who was hanging on to Mary's leg. "And Joan, you are as cute as they come."

"I punkin," she told her.

"You _are_ a pumpkin," Kathy said, smiling.

"If you two are free in the morning, you should come by," Steve said with a quick look at Catherine who smiled encouragingly. "You remember my dad's sister Deb?"

"Sure," Frank said, nodding.

"She's here visiting with Mary and Joan through tomorrow."

"Oh, wonderful," Kathy said. "We'd love to see her."

"Great," Catherine said, smiling warmly. "How about a late brunch?"

"That sounds lovely," Kathy said. "We'll be there." She stood and looked at the gathered kids. "But for now we have more important business. You all have been waiting so patiently."

"Mr. and Mrs. Kayama," Grace said. "Kaitlyn and Danno and I have a Halloween cheer. Can we do it for you?"

"Of course you can, Grace," Kathy said, smiling. "Go right ahead."

"Come on, Danno," Grace said, motioning to her father to bring the signs forward.

The others moved to the side as Kaitlyn and Grace arranged themselves with their handmade "Trick" and "Treat" signs. Danny stood in between them with a white megaphone decorated to match the colors of their signs and costumes.

He shot a quick look at his teammates as if daring them to tease, before smiling at the girls and nodding. "Ready?"

Grace started by holding up her sign and shouting, "Trick!"

Danny brought the megaphone to his mouth and said, "Or!"

Kaitlyn raised her sign, her smile a mile wide, and yelled, "Treat!"

Together they cried, "Yeah!" then repeated the line in the same way.

"Trick!"

"Or!"

"Treat!"

"Yeah!"

The girls continued with, "Ghosts and goblins, scary sights. Don't you worry, just one night!"

"Trick!"

"Or!"

"Treat!"

"Yeah!"

The girls dropped their signs and straightened, shaking their pom poms up to the sky as all three cried, "Haaaaaaaaalloween! YEAH!"

Grace and Kaitlyn beamed at the raucous applause from their families and the Kayamas.

"That was fantastic!" Kathy said.

"Great job, honey!" Jenna said, hugging Kaitlyn.

"Yay!" Joan cried. "I twy!" She reached for one of Grace's pompoms and shook it vigorously.

Danny drifted back as the kids received their treats from Frank.

"Wow, Danno," Steve started with a smirk, holding Cammie's leash as he folded his arms. "I didn't know you had this hidden talent . . ."

Danny raised the megaphone toward Steve's ear and said, " _What?!_ "

Cammie barked once, and Steve leaned away from his partner. "Okay, you of all people do not need anything to make you any louder."

" _Trick-or-treat!_ " Danny yelled, grinning.

Steve pushed the megaphone away, unable to hold back a laugh.

"That was adorable, Danny," Catherine said, smiling at him.

"Yeah," Kono agreed. "So sweet of you to do."

Danny shrugged. "The girls loved coming up with it. I'm not about to get in the way of that."

Steve smiled genuinely, nodding at his partner.

"Thank you!" the chorus of voices alerted them that it was time to move on to the next house. They waved to the Kayamas before heading back toward the street.

"Here, Mary," Catherine said, holding her hands out for Joan. "Your arms are gonna get tired."

"Ann Caf," Joan said, reaching for her. Once settled on Catherine's hip, she held up her bucket. "Can'y, Ann Caf."

"Lucky girl," Catherine said and smiled at her. "Are you having fun?"

Joan nodded. "I liiiike twick-o-tweat."

Catherine laughed. "I bet you do."

Steve and Danny fell in step beside Cody and Jess as they walked to the next house, Cammie trotting along beside Steve.

"Hey, how was the haunted house last night?" Steve asked.

"It was fun," Jess said.

Cody looked at her. "Fun?" he teased. "I've got bruises from where you gripped my arm."

She blushed a little, but teased back, "I think those are from Jadon."

Cody snorted and motioned. "No, those are on the other arm."

Steve chuckled. "Jadon couldn't handle the haunted house?"

"I've never heard anyone scream so much in my life," Cody said. "And I have four younger brothers and sisters."

Danny laughed, rubbing his hands together. "That is excellent information to store away."

"Yeah, I plan to," Cody said with a little smile.

"Oh, I was talking about me," Danny said. "I'm gonna need it once All Day J sees pictures of this costume. Which I have no doubt he will."

"Where's he tonight?" Steve asked.

"He and his brothers always go out with their uncle on Halloween," Cody said. He glanced at Danny. "He did say he wanted to see pictures of what D-Dawg and SuperSEAL were wearing."

"Of course he did," Danny said with a sigh.

" _Cheer_ up, Danno," Steve said, over-enunciating the first word and smirking at him.

"Oh, har, har, har, you think you're so funny . . ."

"I _am_ funny . . ."

"You–"

Jess giggled and looked at Cody.

"Are they always like this?" she whispered.

Cody chuckled. "Pretty much," he said. He looked at Steve and Danny as they continued arguing and smiled. "They're brothers."

* * *

The evening continued as the sun began to set. Joan was now a pro at trick-or-treating. While most of the time she wanted to be carried between houses, she always insisted on walking up to the door herself. She waited for one of the older kids to knock or ring the doorbell, then gleefully cried, "Twick-o-tweat!" as soon as someone answered the door.

"Hey, it's a little pumpkin," a teenage boy said and knelt in front of her. "Are you ready for some candy?"

Joan nodded, holding out her bucket.

He dropped two pieces inside, but she had seen the candy in his other hand and made a lunge toward him. Grabbing the candy, she dropped it in her bucket as she turned, calling, "T'ank you!" over her shoulder while she walked away.

The teen looked surprised, but laughed before turning to the other kids.

"Joan!" Mary cried and covered her face with a hand, shaking her head and chuckling.

Danny guffawed. "That was _hysterical_. Cutest snatch and grab in history."

"Oh my God," Mary said as Steve scooped up her daughter.

"She did say 'thank you,' " Steve pointed out.

Catherine laughed, rubbing Joan's back, Cammie's leash in her other hand. "You are something else, cutie."

" 'mon, Unca Teeve," Joan said, pointing to the next house. "Twick-o-tweat."

"Okay," he said, grinning at her. "Come on."

Jacob's excitement grew as it got darker outside, but that was nothing compared to his downright giddiness when they walked up to a house where the owner had put a black light on, and the painted bones on his costume glowed even brighter.

"Mom! Look!" he cried. "Now I'm _really_ glowing!"

"Wow, honey, it looks great!" Jenna said with a broad smile.

"Cody! Do you see? I'm glowing!" Jacob exclaimed, spinning in a circle.

"Awesome, Jake," Cody said.

"Careful, Jacob," Dylan said, looking down. "There's a little step."

Jacob stopped spinning and looked. "Oh yeah." He smiled at his headless brother. "Come on, Dylan!" He took his brother's arm and pulled him closer to the spookily decorated porch where a man was opening the door wearing a skeleton mask. "Hey!" Jacob cried. "You're a bone guy, too!"

"Awesome costume, little man."

"I'm glowing!" Jacob said.

"Me, too," the man said, stepping out onto the porch. His mask glowed as brightly as Jacob's costume.

"Cool!" Jacob looked back at his mother. "Can we get one of those lights for me and Dylan's room?"

Jenna winced. "I don't think that'd be very practical, honey. It's for special days like Halloween."

"Oh," Jacob said, slumping a little. He shrugged off his disappointment quickly and turned back to the man. "It looks really cool!"

"Thanks," the man said. "I put it up every Halloween. Maybe next year you and your family can come see it again."

"Okay!" Jacob said with an excited jump. He started to run back toward the driveway.

"Hey, aren't you forgetting something?" the man called.

Jacob looked back and saw the man putting a piece of candy in Dylan's bag.

"Oh yeah!" Jacob cried and ran back up. "Trick-or-treat!"

"That's more like it," the man said with a laugh and gave him a piece.

"Thank you!" Jacob said before heading back toward the others.

"Thanks," Dylan echoed.

"Awesome costume, dude," the man said to him. "Did you make it yourself?"

"Yeah, with my uncle," Dylan said.

"Looks great."

"Thanks," Dylan said again. "Happy Halloween!"

Grace and Casey held Kaitlyn's hands as they approached. The younger girl bit her lip, looking around at the spooky porch and the man in the skeleton mask. He pulled it off his head and smiled.

"Great costumes, ladies."

"Thanks," Grace said.

"Cool decorations," Casey said, looking at the cobwebs and gravestones set around the porch.

"You like it?" he asked. "Halloween is my favorite holiday. Next year I'm thinking about getting a fog machine."

Casey grinned. "Awesome."

The man smiled at Kaitlyn. "Here you go," he said and gave her a piece of candy.

She let go of Grace's hand to put it in her bag. "Thank you," she said quietly and gave him a small smile.

The man gave Casey and Grace their candy as well, and after the girls thanked him, they headed back toward the adults.

"That wasn't so bad, was it, honey?" Jenna asked Kaitlyn, rubbing her cheek. "Just some spooky decorations."

Kaitlyn nodded.

"What do you say?" Danny asked. "Time for another cheer while we walk to the next house?"

Kaitlyn grinned, getting her pom poms ready.

After a few more houses, Steve, Catherine, and Mary had fallen a little behind with Joan because the toddler had stubbornly decided she wanted to do all her own walking, and Mary insisted the other kids not wait for her since she was moving so slowly. Catherine held Cammie's leash as the big dog matched her pace to the toddler's.

"She's getting tired," Mary said. "Maybe a couple more houses, and I'll head back with her."

Steve nodded and checked his watch. "Official trick-or-treating hours are over pretty soon anyway."

They walked up to the next house, and an older woman opened the door, her husband beside her.

"Twick-or-tweat," Joan said more slowly, holding up her bucket, though not as high as she had earlier in the evening.

"Look at all those treats you've got in there," the woman said, smiling at her. "Well, here's one more."

"T'ank you," Joan said after the woman had dropped a bag of pretzels in her bucket.

"You're welcome, dear." The woman looked up at Steve, Catherine, and Mary. "Oh, what a gorgeous dress . . ." she said to Catherine. "You know it kind of reminds me of . . ." She looked at Steve next to Catherine, and he ran his thumb and index finger over his mustache. She gasped. "Are you dressed as Nick and Nora Charles? I love those movies!" She looked down at Cammie sitting at their feet. "Oh, and you've even got your own Asta with you."

"Little bigger than Asta," her husband observed.

"And much smarter," Steve said.

Catherine smiled, rubbing Cammie's head. "Yeah, you'd never eat a clue, would you, Cammie?"

The dog woofed happily at the attention.

They thanked the couple, and after the door had closed, Mary said, "I think I need to see these movies."

"They're all right," Steve said with a little shrug.

Catherine clucked her tongue. "I'm sorry, who was it who was checking for sequels after we finished the first movie?"

"I totally called the murderer in that second one."

"You did," she acknowledged with a nod.

Blinking tiredly, Joan had reached for her mother, and Mary picked her up. She gently took Joan's bucket, handing it to Catherine. Joan laid her head on Mary's shoulder.

"Mo' twick-o-tweat?" Joan asked, her voice slow and quiet.

"I think it's time for bed, peanut."

"No, Mama," Joan said, but it was a weak protest.

Mary chuckled lightly. " 'No, Mama'? You're gonna fall asleep on my shoulder, and you're not exactly a lightweight anymore."

"Here," Steve said, gently taking Joan into his arms. "I got you, Joanie."

She settled against him, wrapping her hands around his neck and murmuring, "Unca Teeve," sleepily.

"I'll walk you back," he said to Mary.

Catherine nodded and handed Cammie's leash and Joan's candy bucket to Mary.

"I'll catch up with the others and let them know," she said. "We'll finish the rest of the street and probably head back after that."

Steve nodded, leaning over to kiss her quickly. "Okay."

"Night, sweetie," Catherine said, running a hand over Joan's hair and kissing her cheek. "Happy Halloween."

" 'oween, Ann Caf," Joan said, her eyes barely opening.

Catherine squeezed Mary's arm briefly and watched as she and Steve started back toward the beach house.

Turning, she lifted her skirt a little to quicken her pace and catch up with the rest of their group.

* * *

A half hour later, the remaining trick-or-treaters returned to the house. As they came in the front door, Steve stood from his seat in the chair and put a finger to his lips.

"Just got Joanie to sleep," he said in a lowered voice. He smiled. "How was the rest of Operation Trick-or-Treat?"

"Awesome!" Jacob whisper-shouted. "Look, Uncle Steve, my bag is _full!_ "

"That's great."

Mary and Deb smiled from the couch, their witch hats on the coffee table in front of them.

"What a night," Leilani said, taking off her circlet headpiece and running a hand through her hair. "That was a lot of fun."

Beside her, Chin smiled. "It was," he agreed. He was holding part of Dylan's costume that they had removed on the walk back.

"Hey, Dylan," Mary teased. "Good to see you again."

Dylan grinned, his hair sticking up in different directions from being under the turtleneck so long.

"Well, gang," Jenna said, looking at her kids. "What do you think? Should we head home? Supermom is _tired_."

"Do you want to change before you go?" Catherine asked.

"I think Dylan was the only one who might have needed to," Jenna said. "Case, do you want to take your spider leg shirt off?"

"I'll be okay for the ride home," Casey said. "See?" She folded her arms which caused the spider legs to fold across her abdomen as well.

"We brought all your bags down from upstairs," Steve said, motioning to the corner. "And Dylan's from the den."

"Thank you," Jenna said as the kids began picking through the pile to find their bags. She smiled at Steve and Catherine. "Well, I call that an unqualified success."

"Definitely," Catherine agreed, smiling back.

Steve draped an arm over Catherine shoulders and nodded.

"Thank you again," Jenna said, and looked at Chin and Kono, and Mary and Deb. "This really was a fantastic Halloween."

"Best Halloween ever!" Jacob exclaimed, forgetting to be quiet.

Steve smiled at him and exchanged a look with Catherine. "Until next year."

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! Happy Halloween from the REAL World!**

 **Note:** Special hug to my youngest niece who inspired several moments in this story, including the cutest snatch and grab in history.

 _Keep track of all the REAL World stories on our Tumblr page - mcrollintherealworld at tumblr dot com - including a chronological list!_

 _You can still join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with Add me, please! in the subject line._

 _And find Mari on Twitter asking your opinions on all things McRoll in the REAL World! Mari21763 and add #REALMcRoller_


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